My bucket is broken !

5030 · Apr 28, 2022

Ive repaired a lot of smiling buckets in the past. Big job getting the smile out because the owner used the bucket edge for something other than it's intended use. It usually requires cutting both side sheets then applying pressure to the floor at the cutting edge to square it back up and then rewelding the side sheets. When you impart a smile in any bucket, you suck the side sheets inward and they have to be cut loose before the smile will come out.

DGZRT · Apr 28, 2022

Is this a good welder for the money ?? Been looking at it for a month and have not pulled the trigger yet .

MIG180 180-Amp MIG Welder With Spool Gun

The MIG180 mig welder includes upgraded Tweco 100 Style torch and American style connection. Order online today from PrimeWeld to get free shipping.

primeweld.com

5030 · Apr 28, 2022

DGZRT said:
Is this a good welder for the money ?? Been looking at it for a month and have not pulled the trigger yet .

MIG180 180-Amp MIG Welder With Spool Gun

The MIG180 mig welder includes upgraded Tweco 100 Style torch and American style connection. Order online today from PrimeWeld to get free shipping.

primeweld.com

Looks fine to me. Mig welder need not be fancy at all. I've never had a spool gun for welding aluminum with a MIG. If I want to weld aluminum, I use my Invertig Lincoln. All the spool gun welds I've seen were gobby anyway. A real good spool gun will be push pull and not in that price range

I think Everlast (paid advertiser on here) sells inexpensive MIG welders too. Never used one as I don't particularly like welders that come in overseas containers. Just have a thing about buying domestic if I can....

180 amps won't get you into spray transfer MIG but not something you need to be concerned with anyway.

jyoutz · Apr 28, 2022

5030 said:
That 200 buck HF welder lacks the balls for any serious welding.

Just get a cheap old style Lincoln stick welder. I’ve had mine for 30 years and it has enough balls to weld anything I want to weld.

DaBear3428 · Apr 28, 2022

5030 said:
Whatever. I do it for as an additional farm income. I never said they won't weld, hell you can stick weld with a car battery if you are inclined. What I meant was, the cheap welders don't have sufficient output to weld heavy gage metal. Nothing more.

I understand, but respectfully, the metal on a bucket is seldom more than 3/8 unless you are talking about a cutting edge. the OP should be able to weld just about any of that with a 200 amp welder and more with prep and multi-pass , you can get a 200 amp mig for 200 to 300 let alone a cheapie, the migs will also have a stick feature if needed. you can coverup a lot of sins with a mig or flux core. I'm not suggesting that he go out and and start welding at a nuclear plant, but for very little investment and some u-tube time (if he is inclined to do it) he can weld up a bucket from scratch, (not saying to do that but it can be done) so spend a little time, not much money, fix your bucket and have a skill that will come in handy later. Or not, it is a learning process and you will make some mistakes but there is not a lot of risk involved. If he decided to get serious about welding then yes he would want to invest some $s into some serious equipment that much we agree on.

tacticalturnip · Apr 28, 2022

5030 said:
Understandable... Get yourself a good group 31 car battery fully charged, some welding cable, battery post clamps, stinger and ground clamp and have at it. It's short circuit welding. Use 6011 rod. Duty cycle won't be too long, maybe 5 minutes tops but it works fine. Be sure the battery is a way from your welding as it will be gassing off while discharging and the off gas is explosive hydrogen. You don't want to blow yourself up while making a mess of some scrap steel plate...lol

Just bookmarked this post, as one day it may just be necessary.

DaBear3428 · Apr 28, 2022

jyoutz said:
Just get a cheap old style Lincoln stick welder. I’ve had mine for 30 years and it has enough balls to weld anything I want to weld.

yep i have daubed a lot of farm equipment together with a buzz box.

DaBear3428 · Apr 28, 2022

tacticalturnip said:
Just bookmarked this post, as one day it may just be necessary.

lol that is one way to go

tacticalturnip · Apr 28, 2022

I've got a welder all of 50 feet from me at this moment, and yet I don't know how to weld. To be fair, it's not mine, but the owner isn't going to see the outside of a jail cell for a hot minute. Point being that I ought to both learn to weld, and take a picture of the beast to get you lot telling me how wonderful or terrible it is.

rScotty · Apr 28, 2022

tacticalturnip said:
I've got a welder all of 50 feet from me at this moment, and yet I don't know how to weld. To be fair, it's not mine, but the owner isn't going to see the outside of a jail cell for a hot minute. Point being that I ought to both learn to weld, and take a picture of the beast to get you lot telling me how wonderful or terrible it is.

Yes, you ought to learn to weld. It is a great skill and will save you many hours of fabrication and repair. The basics are easy. I know because I've taught several people to weld and it only takes a few hours. That doesn't make them masters, but they can stick metal together and are able to criticize their work well enough to get better with experience. We all do that.
And after all, if it breaks you just grind to good metal and weld it again. A little 4.5" Bosch hand-held grinder is one of the welder's most handy tools.
rScotty